Xiao Hongchen lay sprawled on the ground, a faintly bitter smile curling on his lips.
"So much for being the Sun Moon Empire's strongest genius… In the end, I'm just an ordinary person."
Before Wang Chen's overwhelming strength, Xiao Hongchen's inner pride was utterly shattered. His once unshakable confidence dissolved, leaving only humility.
At the side, Meng Hongchen was still dazed from what she had just witnessed.
She had thought her brother's duel with Wang Chen would be a thrilling clash of dragons and tigers—two young prodigies vying for supremacy.
Yet the result was beyond anything she imagined.
Just one move—a single punch—and her brother was routed.
The gap between them was so vast that it could be seen with the naked eye. They weren't even on the same level.
Meng Hongchen knew her brother's strength very well. Though his cultivation was only Rank 46, a four-ring Soul Sect, his Three-Legged Golden Toad martial soul—one that could control metals—was among the most powerful top-tier spirits.
Combined with their grandfather's meticulous training, his physique and spiritual power already rivaled that of a Soul King.
Each of his soul skills had been chosen with great care, complementing one another perfectly—forming a seamless, synergistic set ideal for a Soul Engineer.
His combat power was so strong that even most Fifth-rank Soul Engineers at the Soul King level weren't his match.
And yet… such a powerful brother was defeated so miserably in just one strike.
It made Meng Hongchen wonder—just how terrifying was Wang Chen's true strength?
Then she remembered something.
Half a month ago, before the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince, she had met with Wang Chen. He had asked her to guess his cultivation.
She had guessed again and again, but he'd only smiled mysteriously and said,
"Let's keep it a secret for now. I'll give you a surprise later."
Now that surprise had arrived—and it was enormous.
After all, what girl doesn't hope that the one she likes keeps growing stronger and more dazzling?
Thinking of that, Meng Hongchen's heart filled with sweetness, and she blushed shyly.
"Brother Wang Chen is so bad… hiding such strength from me just to make me jump in shock like this."
Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at Wang Chen.
"Brother Wang Chen, you're amazing! So strong… so handsome!" she said sweetly.
Lying on the ground, Xiao Hongchen heard his sister's words and nearly wanted to die on the spot.
Seriously?! Your brother just got beaten to the floor, and you're over there praising the guy who did it? Can't you at least comfort your real brother first?
Who's your actual brother here—me, or Wang Chen?!
Lin Jiayi, the Director of Instruction, watched all this without surprise.
He had seen Wang Chen's terrifying power before—during the final phase of the Mingde Hall assessment, Wang Chen had knocked out a Fifth-rank Soul Engineer with just two slaps.
Even with his extraordinary martial soul, Young Master Xiao's cultivation was too low. Against Wang Chen, losing was only natural.
In fact, Lin Jiayi believed that even among Soul Emperors, Wang Chen's strength would rank among the elite.
After casually defeating Xiao Hongchen with a single punch using his Dominating Heaven Battle Technique (Junlin Tianxia Zhanji), Wang Chen walked over and helped his defeated "brother-in-law" up.
He smiled and said gently,
"Victory and defeat are part of any warrior's path. Please don't take it too seriously. What matters is that I'm older than you, and my cultivation is naturally higher. When you reach my age, your strength will definitely grow much more."
Normally, Wang Chen wouldn't bother to comfort a defeated opponent. But since Xiao Hongchen was his future brother-in-law, he felt obliged to say a few encouraging words.
After Wang Chen's calm and patient talk, the once-devastated Xiao Hongchen's spirit slowly recovered.
His delicate, handsome face regained a hint of pride.
"Right," Xiao Hongchen thought to himself, "Wang Chen's older than me. By the time I'm nearly fifteen, my soul power will have reached Soul King level. Even Soul Emperors won't be my match. If we were the same age, I'd definitely win!"
Lifting his chin stubbornly, he looked up at Wang Chen—who was taller—and declared,
"I lost today. But when I break through to Soul King, I'll challenge you again!"
Wang Chen only chuckled and nodded.
"Alright. When you reach Soul King, we'll have another match."
Though Wang Chen had defeated him effortlessly, he knew that Xiao Hongchen's talent and strength were extraordinary.
His four soul skills—Metal Control, Condensed Metal Form, Metal Boiling, and Metal Sacrifice—allowed him to control dozens, even hundreds, of soul tools simultaneously.
By burning metal elements through his fourth soul skill, Metal Sacrifice, he could unleash immense energy to charge his soul tools, multiplying their destructive power many times over.
Such was the might of a top-tier martial soul. Before the Soul Sage realm, crossing levels to fight stronger opponents was almost effortless.
In the original records, Xiao Hongchen had fought in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament and, with just his Soul King-level cultivation, had unleashed a power that even Soul Emperors couldn't resist.
If it hadn't been for Shrek Academy's deputy captain Dai Yueheng using an invincible body skill, Xiao Hongchen would have crushed him outright.
Of course, compared to Wang Chen, he still wasn't close. By the time Xiao Hongchen reached Soul King, Wang Chen would likely already be a Soul Sage—and that would be yet another blow to Xiao Hongchen's pride.
As Wang Chen and Xiao Hongchen were speaking, a young man about twenty-three or twenty-four years old appeared at the entrance of the assessment hall.
He held a long sword in his hand, his expression cold and sharp, his very presence commanding.
This man was named Ji Juechen.
He had long black hair, a pale face that seemed almost unhealthy, but strikingly handsome—only slightly less so than Wang Chen.
Yet his eyes were devoid of emotion, as sharp and piercing as his blade.
The sword in his hand was forged from meteorite iron from beyond the heavens, black and ancient, four feet long, exuding a quiet menace.
Feeling the man's gaze, Wang Chen turned his head toward the doorway. Their eyes met.
"Who are you?" Wang Chen asked calmly.
Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Lin Jiayi also turned to look.
Lin Jiayi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ji Juechen? What are you doing here in the Mingde Hall assessment hall?"
He looked at Ji Juechen as though seeing a madman.
Sword Maniac Ji Juechen was the chief disciple of the academy's Practical Soul Tool Department—a total anomaly within the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy.
Although a member of the academy, he didn't study soul tools at all. He only used a sword.
No cannons, no gadgets—only the blade.
Every day, he either cultivated or sought out strong opponents to challenge. He was taciturn, rarely speaking.
Only through Jing Hongchen's special approval had he been allowed entry into Mingde Hall.
As the chief disciple, Ji Juechen had the right to choose his opponents—but to avoid chaos, Jing Hongchen had limited him to one challenge per month.
His martial soul was simply a sword—ordinary, with no special abilities.
His innate soul power was only rank three, barely enough to cultivate at all.
Normally, such a poor foundation would condemn a soul master to mediocrity, never surpassing the Soul Sect.
But Ji Juechen never complained about his martial soul. He loved it with an obsession bordering on madness.
From the day his martial soul awakened, he released it every waking moment. His eyes held nothing but the sword.
No one knew how he trained, but by age eight, he had already reached Rank 10.
Then, without help or companions, he entered the forest alone, slaying soul beasts until he returned three days later covered in blood, bearing his first hundred-year soul ring.
Unlike typical weapon-type soul masters, whose first soul skill increased sharpness or attack power, Ji Juechen's first ability enhanced soul power output, much like a Soul Engineer's auxiliary boost.
Step by step, without taking any enhancement pills, he climbed higher—eventually reaching the six-ring Soul Emperor realm just recently.
And he was only twenty-three.
Such cultivation speed, given his initial talent, was terrifying.
Naturally, he had attracted the attention of the Sun Moon Empire's great powers.
How could someone with innate rank-three soul power cultivate so fast? It defied logic.
After much study, they discovered that Ji Juechen's speed came from his unique cultivation path—a method that only he could follow, impossible for anyone else to replicate.
So the higher-ups eventually stopped interfering.
Now, in the doorway of the hall, Ji Juechen stared straight at Wang Chen, his gaze unwavering.
Even when Lin Jiayi spoke, he didn't so much as glance aside.
In a cold, emotionless tone, he said:
"Will you fight me?"
There was a burning fighting intent in his eyes.
Ji Juechen remained in the academy for one purpose—to challenge the strong and advance further.
But as his power grew, worthy opponents became fewer and fewer. The mighty Sun Moon Royal Academy now had almost no one who could excite him.
He had even considered leaving the academy in search of stronger foes.
Then today, as he passed by Mingde Hall, he caught a glimpse of Wang Chen's punch—a strike that crushed Xiao Hongchen utterly.
That single blow contained a perfect intent—pure, fluid, harmonious. Exactly the kind of meaning Ji Juechen pursued all his life.
Now he was consumed by the urge to fight Wang Chen. His instincts told him that if he could battle Wang Chen, he would surely gain enlightenment—make another leap forward.
Lin Jiayi frowned deeply.
"Ji Juechen, the Hall Master already told you—you can only challenge once per month! You already fought a Seventh-rank Soul Engineer half a month ago. If you want another challenge, you'll have to wait."
Xiao Hongchen snorted coldly.
"Ji Juechen, you're already in your twenties. Wang Chen is only fourteen. Don't you have any shame?"
Meng Hongchen added anxiously,
"That's right! You're nearly ten years older—how could you even think of fighting him?"
Ji Juechen ignored them both, his cold gaze fixed only on Wang Chen.
"I can suppress my cultivation," he said flatly. "Fight me, and in return—I'll do one thing for you."
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen looked ready to ask Lin Jiayi to throw him out.
But Wang Chen didn't refuse. Instead, he studied Ji Juechen carefully—especially the ancient sword in his hand.
A glimmer flashed in his eyes.
He realized that Ji Juechen had completely fused his sword martial soul with the meteorite iron blade—his spirit and weapon had become one.
Normally, a weapon martial soul manifests as a physical energy construct.
Yet here, the sword had merged into a true weapon—the union of man and blade.
That kind of fusion meant that Ji Juechen's very essence and sword were the same.
Wang Chen's interest was piqued—deeply.
"Human and sword as one… this Ji Juechen is a true genius."
Unlike many who wished to be the only prodigy in the world, Wang Chen welcomed the existence of other geniuses.
His Black Book could record, analyze, and refine the abilities of all talented individuals.
The more geniuses there were in the world, the more he could learn, and the stronger he could become.
To Wang Chen, the world's brilliance was his stepping stone.
In that moment, he truly understood the ultimate purpose of the Black Book—
to absorb the wisdom of countless geniuses, integrate their paths, and use them as the foundation stones upon which he would ascend to the very peak.
Looking at Ji Juechen, Wang Chen smiled.I accept your challenge.